The aim of this activity is to study and develop a comprehensive understanding of the threats to European democracy. This activity will establish a Working Group on Threats to European Democracy who will develop a research methodology to undertake this activity. A replicable and innovative methodology for threat analysis will use tools such as public opinion surveys, open-source research, big data and historical research. KEW will conduct the pilot research in selected countries using the methodology developed by the Working Group. The project assumes that in the future the methodology can be used as a template for similar types of research and will be shared after the pilot research phase. The Working Group will also organize a series of roundtable meetings with experts and civil society from all over the European Union which will prepare a special report with recommendations ahead of the 2024 EU Parliament elections.
This activity will support the primary research agenda of the KEW think tank and include the organization of study visits and analytical exchanges between our project team, affiliated fellows and other European experts. The results of the various meetings and discussions will help develop solutions to EU-wide problems identified in the research agenda by providing a link between KEW research and EU policymaking. This activity will support KEW’s pursuit of mutual learning and exchange of good practices, awareness raising, information and dissemination activities with an EU added value. This includes policy papers, research reports, articles and podcasts but also online social media campaigns aimed not only at the policy community, but the wider European public as a whole.
In 2024, the project will also include a special assessment of European democracy in the framework of the commemoration of 20 years since the 2004 EU Enlargement. This will include a series of Roundtable discussions (Bratislava, Prague, Budapest) to explore the state of democracy in the European Union 20 years after the 2004 enlargement. Proposed topics for the three discussions will include: 1) Assessing the State of Democracy in the EU; 2) The Impact of the 2004 EU Enlargement on Democracy in the EU and 3) Strengthening Democracy in the EU. A final report as a result of the three discussions will be released by the end of the year.
